The Morning After the Night Before
by PrehistoricCat
Summary: Set pre-series 1, a couple of short fics exploring Abby and Connor's backstories.  *rated M for adult themes and mentions of abuse*
1. Abby's Story

**Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright intended**

**A/N: I thought it would be interesting to explore a little of what I think is the backstory for Abby... so this is set the day before series 1 begins.**

**Warning: Rated M for adult content and mentions of sexual abuse. If that sort of thing offends, don't read.**

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Abby Maitland was woken by the early morning sunlight streaming in through the crack in the curtain. For a moment, she wasn't sure where she was – and then she remembered. She had that all too familiar queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach and in her head that told her two things had happened. Firstly; she'd had too much to drink, and secondly; she'd slept with some random guy she'd picked up at the club. This was becoming a regular occurrence now, and she always regretted it. But she also needed it, and didn't know how to break the habit.

She slid herself out from under the duvet so as not to disturb her sleeping lover; the last thing she wanted was some awkward conversation with a guy whose name she couldn't remember. At least this one looked relatively OK; some weekends she'd woken up next to a face only a mother could love and on a couple of occasions she'd spotted a wedding ring. Not this time, thankfully. Her clothes were scattered around the room, and she crept around trying to locate every piece, then left the bedroom so that she could get dressed without waking the man in the bed.

-o-

Why did she keep doing this to herself? Abby sat at the bus stop with her head in her hands. Being a Sunday, she wasn't entirely sure whether there would be a bus into town this early, but she didn't have enough money for a taxi on her. The fresh air had made her feel a little better, but her head felt like 50 construction workers were all using their hammers and drills at the same time inside her.

She leaned back against the plastic wall of the bus shelter. This had to stop before she turned into her mother; sleeping with any man that showed the slightest bit of interest because she needed to feel loved. She'd yelled at her mum; called her a whore and tried to make her see that "sex" wasn't "love", but here she was; falling into the same trappings.

She hadn't done much socialising as a teenager having had to spend most of her time looking after Jack. Their mother had lost interest in both of them after their father walked out on them just before Abby's 13th birthday and she found herself having to grow up very quickly. Things had improved slightly when Scott came on the scene, but he was a drunk; and a violent one too. He was the reason she had learnt to defend herself – it was either that or end up as Scott's punchbag every evening.

Then came that fateful evening that forced Abby into one of the most difficult decisions of her life. Scott had come home drunk, and when he found that her mother wasn't there, he turned to Abby instead. She tried to fight him off, but he was strong and determined and once he had her pinned down on the sofa there was little she could do. It was the only time she was thankful he was drunk; he lasted only seconds. But what hurt more than him taking her innocence without permission was the fact that her mother refused to believe her. She shouldn't have worn that short skirt; she was asking for it.

Abby ran away from home and fortunately found someone who did believe her, and Scott was prosecuted. Her mother disowned her for bringing shame on the family, and when Abby tried to contact her father for support, he simply sent her a cheque. She ripped it up, and decided that she no longer had parents. The people who were supposed to love her and protect her had failed.

A lot of other girls would have gone completely off the rails and wound up getting into trouble with the police, but Abby became determined to achieve her goal of getting to University and working with lizards. She did it of course, because when Abby Maitland sets her mind on something, she gets it...

University was a scary step though. Away from the security of her Foster home and on her own, she felt like a fish out of water. She envied the other girls arriving at the halls with their proud parents in tow and car loads full of possessions. Abby had just one box of personal items and a suitcase of clothes. That was when it all started.

She'd been naïve enough to think that the cute guy at the student union bar was interested in her, and for one night she felt amazing! Loved, wanted, needed... all the things she had craved for so long. When he practically threw her out of bed the next morning with a look of disgust on his face, she sobbed for three hours. That should have been a warning to her, but she longed for that feeling again, and she soon earned herself a reputation. The other girls on her course hated her and called her a slag; the guys were only interested in one thing. The lonelier she got, the more desperate she became and the vicious circle became seemingly unbreakable.

Even after she'd dropped out of University to take the job at the zoo, she couldn't help herself. Occasionally, a guy would ask for her phone number, or he'd say "I'd like to see you again." but that sent Abby running for the hills. People who got close to her ended up being a disappointment; those who claimed to love her just hurt her, so it was easier to have that quick fix and then walk away – be the one in control and be the one doing the hurting.

-o-

The bus driver gave Abby a disgusted look as she paid her fare and made her way up the narrow aisle towards an empty seat. A couple of other people looked at her too, until she glared at them menacingly. She knew she must look a pretty horrendous sight – still in her clothes that she'd gone out in and not even had a wash. She probably stank of stale beer and cigarette smoke too. She was used to it; "the walk of shame" Everyone would know she'd not been home after a night out. She used to wear it like a badge of honour, but now she just felt dirty.

Finally home, she headed straight for the bathroom to rid herself of the night before. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and realised the reason for the disgusted looks. Her mascara was smeared around her eyes, her hair a complete mess and the purple love bite on her neck stuck out a mile. She would have to wear a scarf for the next few days to hide it.

"Abigail Sarah Maitland, you are a mess!" She said angrily into the mirror. In that instant, she made a decision. It was time she got a bit of self respect. She deserved better than this. This was the last time she would fall into bed with a guy just because he had a cute smile or a charming chat up line.

Shedding her clothes felt like shedding a skin, and then as the hot water of the shower washed away the grime, she felt renewed. From this moment on, Abby Maitland was a girl who didn't need anyone else to validate who she was or to make her feel good. Only she could do that.

For the first time since she couldn't remember when, Abby felt positive. She had to focus on things that really mattered, like her job. She pulled on a loose t-shirt and leggings, made herself a strong coffee and grabbed a book from the shelf. The afternoon was going to be spent reading up on iguana's in the hope she could work out why "Brad" and "Angelina" weren't mating.

…..

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**Comments and reviews always appreciated. I have a similar story for Connor in the pipeline if anyone is interested**


	2. Connor's story

**Disclaimer: not mine, no copyright intended**

**A/N: Again, set pre series on the day before everyone meets in episode 1. Thanks to those who took the time to comment on the first part**

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Connor Temple had been half awake for a while but he couldn't be bothered to move. It was Sunday morning, and aside from the essay for Professor Cutter that he still hadn't started he really had no reason to. It was only the discomfort in his groin that made him get up – he needed to go to the bathroom urgently.

Stepping over the discarded empty beer bottles and half eaten pizzas that were strewn all over the floor, he finally made his way into the bathroom. He could hear snoring coming from Duncan's room and he knew it would be a least lunchtime before he even woke up. Tom would probably be fast asleep too, although he was much quieter when asleep.

Bladder emptied, Connor decided he needed coffee. It had been a typical Saturday night; too many beers, pepperoni pizza that had far too much cheese and spice and laid heavy on the stomach all night and "Battlestar Gallactica" on DVD. Connor had fallen asleep on Tom and Duncan's sofa as he usually did; it was better than stumbling back to his own flat in the early hours. As he waited for the kettle to boil, he took in the scene in front of him. Tom and Duncan lived like pigs; you couldn't see the carpet for the mess and Connor could write his name in the dust on the work surfaces. The mug he'd found in the cupboard appeared to have something growing in it, and Connor just threw it straight into the bin.

He made his coffee in the only clean thing he could find – a pint glass – and manoeuvred his way through the rubbish tip back to the sofa he'd vacated a few minutes before. Blinking, he sipped his coffee and tried to wake himself up properly. He felt terrible; but he wasn't hungover. It was just that this wasn't quite how he'd imagined his new life would be.

Moving away from home had been a huge step for Connor. He'd spent his entire life in the little semi on the outskirts of Blackburn, and after his father died when he was 10 he barely went out. His mum had struggled to cope with the everyday things, and young Connor tried his best to take care of himself – he didn't want to disturb her when she was sleeping or crying, which was most of the time. He very quickly learnt how to get his own breakfast, put together a sandwich for his lunch, get himself to school on time and then make himself another sandwich for his tea when he got home. He even managed to work out how to use the washing machine and the tumble dryer so that he had clean clothes for school, although his white shirts all came out grey and his sweater shrunk several sizes. It was six months before anyone realised something was amiss in Connor Temple's life.

His Gran took care of him after that, and whilst she adored him and showered him with everything he could possibly need, she didn't really know how to deal with a boy – especially one who was into computers and dinosaurs and science fiction movies. He became very withdrawn, lost in his own world with very few friends, and the victim of cruel taunts at school. It was just after his 14th birthday that a teacher noticed the cuts on his wrists and encouraged him to talk to a counsellor. He'd been self harming for two years; his way of dealing with the way he felt after everything that had happened.

With the right guidance, he finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel. He had a goal to aim for after discovering that he could make a living out of his obsession with dinosaurs if he put his mind to it. Becoming a Doctor of Palaeontology, or maybe even a Professor, seemed like a dream .. but he could do it. He had the brains.

So, here he was, living the dream. What a joke, he thought. He scratched at the old scars on his arms and pulled his gloves up higher to disguise them. It had been a long time since he'd felt the urge to cut himself, but today … no! He couldn't go down that route again. He had to find another way of getting himself out of this rut he found himself in.

University was meant to be the start of something great for him; his Gran said girls would be falling at his feet because Southern girls love boys from the North, and getting a good education at one of the best Universities would open all sorts of doors for him – he would be someone. But, here he was, alone, fed up, single and the only things he had to look forward to were pizza and beer with Tom and Duncan; the only friends he had.

That wasn't strictly true – he did have Zoe, his internet penpal who lived in the Gambia. He'd met her on the "Weird Sightings" forum and they hit it off straight away because she'd said she believed that human life originated from organisms carried here by alien spacecrafts. Sometimes, he called her his girlfriend. She was the closest thing to one he'd ever had, and she did say he was good looking. He talked about her to his Gran as if she was someone on his course, and perhaps he actually believed the fantasy himself.

"You're an idiot, Connor Temple!" he said out loud. It was time he stopped wallowing in self pity and fantasy like he had done for most of his life, and make things happen. If he wanted something better, then he had to go and find it and not just wait for it to come and find him. He wasn't like Tom and Duncan, who seemed pretty happy to go through life playing computer games and spending Saturday night at home. Connor was destined for something big, and somewhere out there was a girl who he would fall for so completely that nothing else mattered.

He drank down the last dregs of his coffee and looked for his bag. He should be heading for home and making a start on that essay. As he approached the door, he spotted the Sunday newspaper on the doormat. It was one of those trashy tabloid papers that has a semi naked model on every other page. Connor wrinkled his nose as he flicked through the pages, and then a headline jumped out at him...

"Monster hoax, or truly beastly?"

… a creature sighting at the Forest of Dean. That wasn't far away, and he remembered reading something about Professor Cutter's wife disappearing there. He felt his heart rate quicken and his stomach flipped. He had to go and see the Professor tomorrow... something told him that he should go to the Forest of Dean.


End file.
